Dick Brewer, Hawaiian gunsmith without rival. Photo: Neste/A-Frame

From early Waimea guns to down-rail Pipe stilettos to the most refined tow boards, Dick Brewer’s had a hand in it all. Widely regarded as the most influential American/ Hawaiian shaper, he originally hails from, of all places, Duluth, Minnesota. After moving to Long Beach, California in the late ‘30s, in 1960 Brewer moved to Hawaii and began shaping. In ‘67 he came out with the Bing Pipeliner. The board helped usher in the tube riding stylings of guys like Gerry Lopez, but Brewer was just getting started. When the Shortboard Revolution exploded he was among the first to master the new craft. Working alongside Bob McTavish and George Greenough, the trio’s designs rewrote the book on performance surfing. They inspired a generation and entirely new brand of surfing. A crippling heroin addiction sidelined him for a few years, but in the early ‘90s when Laird Hamilton came calling looking for some balsa tow boards Brewer rose to the occasion and again his designs were at the forefront of what was happening in the water. For over 50 years now Brewer’s boards, his guns in particular, has set the benchmark for quality, innovative craftsmanship, and by the looks of things, that’s not going to change any time soon. – JH